Being a heavy tea drinker means boiling water several times a day. The Electric Kettle is the much improved, modernized version to the stovetop kettle. It heats water much faster, and can be used in places where there is no stove (like most offices). Here are a few tips on choosing an electric kettle:

1) It should have an Auto Shut Off feature. You don't want the water to boil continuously.

2) Get a Kettle that detaches from the power source so that it can travel from room to room without a bulky cord. The Proctor Silex Automatic Electric Kettle cost $11.00 at Amazon.com and is the most popular electric kettle sold.

3) At Chow.com, they say that plastic pots affect taste and aroma, plus a stainless-steel kettle keeps boiled water hot a lot longer than a plastic one. The Gimpy Girls points us to the Breville Stainless Steel Electric Kettle - available at Amazon.com for $69.99.

4) Some stainless steel kettles get hot on the outside, so test out the kettle to make sure this doesn't happen to yours.

5) There are also kettles which dispense water by the touch of a button.This is a handy feature since when pouring from a hot vessel, the steam can rise and burn your hand. Chow.com recommends the grandaddy of the electric kettles, Zojirushi VE Hybrid Water Boiler and Warmer available at Amazon.com for $184.95. It features double insulation which makes boiled water stay warm even when the boiler's turned off, and a timer that allows you to set water to boil in six to ten hours and which plays a song or beeps to alert you when your water has boiled or if the level is low.

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